Wife of senior Telangana Congress leader C Damodar Rajanarasimha, Padmini Reddy who had joined BJP on Thursday around noon returned to the Congress within 10 hours after the announcement.

This will be recorded as one of the shortest stint in a political party in India. Ms Reddy’s husband C Damodar Rajanarasimha was the deputy chief minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh in the Congress government headed by N Kiran Kumar Reddy. He is presently the in-charge of the party’s manifesto committee for the Telangana elections.

Padmini Reddy

Given Mr Rajanarasimha’s seniority, Ms Reddy’s shift to the BJP was an embarrassment for the Congress. Naturally, the BJP considered her a prize catch and she was welcomed into the party by top leaders like Telangana BJP president K Laxman and BJP national general secretary V Muralidhar Rao.

“Padmini Reddy has made a name for herself with her social work in Medak region, especially among women…Her joining the BJP will strengthen the party,” he further said.

Soon after Padmini Reddy joined the BJP, party national general secretary V Muralidhar Rao tweeted pictures of her induction and wrote,

However, in a shocking change of events, by late evening, Ms. Reddy went back to the Congress. She said that she decided to return as “party workers were feeling hurt” with her departure.

This left the BJP embarrassed and the party was compelled to say that “we respect Padmini Reddy’s decision”.

“Padmini Reddy is an educated and well-informed woman. BJP is a party which respects and believes in women’s empowerment. When she approached BJP to join and work for the party, certainly we couldn’t have asked her to get her husband’s permission. We respect Padmini Reddy’s decision either way. This only exemplifies BJP’s respect for women,” Telangana BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao posted a video on Twitter.